Engineering students aim to build on design success

A team of Teesside University mechanical engineering students are through to the national final of a prestigious industry design challenge.

The IMechE (Institution of Mechanical Engineers) Design Challenge offers first and second year undergraduate students a taste of ‘real world’ engineering, challenging them to design, create, present, and run a device to a strict technical specification.

The Teesside University team, comprising BEng (Hons) Mechanical Engineering students Christian Molla, Frankie Roberts, George Fleming, Jacob Myers and Daniel Mason from the University’s School of Computing, Engineering & Digital Technologies, competed in the final of the NE Regional IMechE Design Challenge 2023.

They won first place, competing against teams from other universities across the region, securing a place in the final to be held in London in October.

Christian, 19, who is originally from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, said: “The IMechE design challenge involved designing, building, and testing a device that could effectively climb a pipe.

“The task required a great deal of technical design, prototype development, and testing. It was a challenge that really put our engineering skills to the test, and we enjoyed every bit of it.

“Winning the regional final was an overwhelming experience. To see all our hard work, dedication and team effort culmination in a win was absolutely thrilling. It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”

Christian said he chose to study at Teesside University due to its “stellar reputation” for engineering courses, adding: “I’ve always been fascinated by the way things work and how they are built, and engineering seemed like the perfect field for me.”

Sajid Abdullah, Principal Lecturer engineering programmes at Teesside University, said: “The IMechE design challenge aims to enhance employability aspects of the degree course by encouraging mechanical engineering students to engage with their subject discipline and experience some of the challenges they may face in their career after they graduate. Developing a 'can do' attitude and creative approach to problem solving.”

The Design Challenge simulates the requirements of a professional engineer, exposing students to the real world of engineering. Working in teams, they must apply a systematic approach to solve an engineering problem.

The 2023 challenge involved building an internal pipe climber. Teams were tasked with building an internal pipe-climbing robot which could climb inside a piece of vertical transparent tube lifting an increasing load.

Their design had to be within specification constraints and the teams had to deliver presentations to a judging panel.

The Teesside University team will now compete in the national final at the Institution of Mechanical Engineers' headquarters in London.

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